After eating and resting for a bit, Leo found herself with no choice but to head to the office at an odd hour. Dropped off a little distance from the office building, she could still hear Kiera's parting words ringing in her ears.
"I will not be visiting more often. But don't think that nobody is watching you. Beware of your actions. You might get yourself killed if you act recklessly," Kiera said, his gaze fixed straight ahead as he spoke.
"You keep on telling me that. Are you by any chance worried that I might get hurt?" she teased, not missing a beat. Her statement made Kiera turn his head towards her, his brows twitching slightly.
"You shouldn't say things like that so recklessly," he said, his teeth clenched.
Leo rolled her eyes, got out of the car, and headed towards the office. She had managed to procure a pair of clean clothes and some extra slippers, just in case she got into a situation that required them. The sun had set, and the sky was a deep blue. It felt absurd to be going to work at that time, but she was not in a position to complain about her circumstances.
"So—now all I have to do is find out if Orion works for Argon or not?" she muttered as she approached the doors of the building and headed towards the elevator. She was relieved to see another person waiting, glad she wouldn't have to ride alone.
"But do I really need to do this? Shouldn't I try reaching out to Grandpa first so I can get away from everything quickly?" She paused, pursing her lips. "But I can't do that right now, especially with my phone being monitored and someone constantly following me. Gosh, what do I do?" she hissed to herself.
Lost in thought, Leo failed to notice the woman beside her—a striking figure in a beautiful silk dress, clutching a handbag in one hand. The woman had a sharp bob cut and dark smoky eyes. She glanced at Leo for a second, taking notice, but the distracted Leo missed this. The elevator doors opened, and Leo walked in with the woman following. She pressed the button for the top floor and leaned against the back of the elevator.
It was just then that Leo felt a sharp pang of pain in her head and had a brief vision.
"Ack," she gasped in pain but tried to hold it in. "Not here!" Feeling a bit frustrated all off a sudden.
In the vision, the lights of the elevator flickered, and she saw herself slamming her head against the walls of the elevator after the woman beside her collided with her. Though the pain was bearable, the fact that the impact was right where Nico had hit her seemed to amplify it. The vision ended, and Leo breathed in deeply. The woman glanced in her direction, confused by Leo's sudden pale face, but right then the elevator shook violently and came to an alarming halt. The woman, losing her balance due to her heels, swung in Leo's direction.
"Ack! D*mn!" Leo hissed, kneading her head in pain. The heavy weight of the woman on top of her made her feel paralyzed for a few moments. As she actively tried to get up, she noticed the woman clinging to her shirt and trembling.
Leo's eyes widened, and she lowered her head to see the woman sweating profusely, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. "What?! Why is she shaking? And why is she stuck to me?! Get off me!" Vivian, the inner voice within Leo, wanted to say this, but for some reason, those words didn't come out. Instead, Leo found her hands gently placing themselves around the woman's shoulders, patting her softly.
"Hey, is everything okay? Are you fine?" The voice was so gentle that Leo could have sworn she didn't recognize it as her own.
"I can't breathe—I can't," the woman punched her chest as she spoke.
"Okay, calm down!" Leo sat her up and positioned her against the wall of the elevator before pushing the emergency button. "Hello!! Is anybody there?! We are stuck in the elevator!!" Forgetting her own trauma of elevators, Leo spoke out of concern for the woman.
She then turned around and looked at the woman, who was growing paler by the second. "It's fine, okay? Hold my hand. I am right here! Everything is going to be fine!" Leo said, holding her hand and patting her cheek to keep her awake. "Look, try slowly. Breathe in—try." The woman's eyes were unfocused as she looked at Leo. Her hand slowly gripped Leo's, and she parted her lips to take a breath.
"Yes! You are doing great. Now breathe slowly. We will be out in no time," Leo chanted in an assuring voice, and the woman's eyes stayed on her, not moving as she slowly breathed. Leo pulled out his handkerchief, patted the sweat off her forehead, and sat back, letting the woman hold onto her hand for as long as possible.
After what seemed like an eternity, the muffled sounds of the rescue team echoed through the elevator shaft. "Hang on! We're getting you out!" a voice called out from the other side of the door. The doors pried open slowly, letting in a flood of light and fresh air. And with that it seemed that the woman finally took a breath and her yes opened this time focusing on Leo completely for a long moment.
The rescue team reached in, Leo pulled back so as to let them help her up but all the while sh edidn;t let go of Leo's hand, clenching onto as if it was her dear life. For a few moment the grasp around her hand tightened and she didn't seem to want to move away.
"It's okay," Leo said softly, looking into the woman's eyes. "You're safe now." They are good people and they will take care of you. She said and pulled her hand out of her grapes with a bit of force.
Leo stepped out of the elevator and took a deep breath. "What on earth is happening? Am I some sort of problem magnet?" she clicked her tongue and rubbed her head, which was still stinging. "I think for a while I should just stick to the stairs." Something told her the elevator had become a bad luck charm for her. She shook her head sideways as a cold shiver crept up her bones from the sudden thought of Nico in the elevator.
"Buzz-Buzzz-Buzz-"